Ashley
Cruelty does many things to a person, and when one lives in a post-apocalyptic wasteland where cruelty is all one knows it seems to be the biggest motivator humans have to continue living; but cruelty manifests itself in everyone differently. All Ashley knew was cruelty, and in him, cruelty denied him his humanity. History Birth He was born on January 9th, 2094; a new life in the wasteland, but to his parents he was an unfortunate mistake. Ash's parents, to his knowledge, lived in a well-to-do community that allowed them a comfortable lifestyle amidst the wasteland but to keep this leisure the town limited each family to one child; the penalty for breaking this golden rule was banishment. Ash's mother wasn't aware of her pregnancy up until the actual birth because the fetus was quite small and located in the back of the womb and she associated the morning sickness and stomach discomfort to an illness from possible radiation exposure. As per the one child limit Ashley's family was banished from their settlement and thus marked the beginning of Ashley's miserable life. To understand why Ash's parents resented him so much one must examine the family. Before Ashley's birth his mother, Mayella, was a border guard who suffered from an undiagnosed case of schizophrenia. Mayella ruled her home and dominated her husband whom she had great contempt for but put up with because otherwise she could not afford her home. She gave birth to her first child, Jackson, who was the apple of her eye. Jackson enjoyed the affection of his mother and the envy of his father, Taylor. Taylor was a pathetic shell of a man who was an inventory keeper in the town's food storage. Taylor was terribly afraid of Mayella and had only once crossed her, and this dissent was probably the only instance of affection Ashley ever received. Upon Ashley's birth Mayella grabbed a meat tenderizer and attempted to smash Ashley's skull only to be stopped by her husband. Taylor, although being an insufferable coward, summoned courage to protect his offspring. Mayella, shocked due to his ballsy move, gave up killing Ashley. Mayella later severely beat Taylor with the same meat tenderizer but by some magic became terrified of killing Ashley, should Taylor become brave again. Mayella tried hiding Ashley at first but the thin, battered walls of their home could not mask their baby's crying and they were banished. Infancy Ashley's family moved to a mostly intact home in what was left of the suburbs miles from their previous home. The difference in quality of life was instantly palpable. They had to resort to eating mole rats, dogs and anything else that looked edible. Lack of purified water meant that they had to make long trips to the city bimonthly to scavenge for supplies to ward off radiation sickness. Mayella's mental instability made her doubly impossible when thrust into this new living situation, but rather than take it out on her beloved Jackson, she found solace in using Ashley to relieve her intense rage. Upon moving into their new home Mayella tolerated Ashley; Mayella even breast-fed him at the pleading of her husband but to her Ashley would always be the reason for her family's misfortune. Eventually once Ashley learned to walk and mumble unintelligible words Mayella confined Ashley to the attic, where because of debris, had only several holes about the size of a quarter each, in the roof to let light through. Initially Taylor would feed her some type of mush because he was certain Ashley couldn't stomach any mutant meat but as soon as Ashley turned four Mayella refused to let Taylor treat him as nicely as he did. Mayella would collect food scraps after the family had eaten in a tin dish, if there were any left, and that would be Ash's meal. On days where scraps were lacking all Ashley would receive was dirty water that Mayella brutishly force fed to him. When Ashley turned five Mayella found herself vindicated in beating him. On days that Mayella was especially stressed she would beat him at the smallest provocation. Adolescence At age fourteen Ashley was a pitiful excuse for a human. An education lacking, Ashley knew only how to communicate his needs in the most basic of language. Ashley's father would occasionally go up to the attic when Mayella was out hunting and sit with him, sometimes bringing Ashley paper and crayons or pencils. Taylor gained a distanced affection for Ashley when he noticed his savant like ability to draw but Taylor's fear of Mayella prevented him forming a bond with Ashley. Taylor's conscience was haunted by Ashley's situation and he would often beg Mayella to just let him leave with Ashley which enraged Mayella to no end. Mayella although having no affection for her husband or second son would rather have them both dead than out of her control which took Taylor a few beatings to understand. One night after being beaten to within an inch of his life, Taylor rested on the kitchen floor in a pool of his own blood and vomit, Mayella asleep at this point. Taylor turned the valve on the propane tank they used to cook, he held out as long as he could, waiting for the propane to disperse through the house before using what was left of his strength to turn a lighter. As one would imagine the house exploded; Mayella was blasted through a window and her son, who slept at the other end of the house was surrounded by flames. The blast catapulted Ashley through the wall of the attic onto the land outside their house. Malnutrition had prevented the growth of a sturdy skeleton which caused the fall to break all his limbs, save for his right arm. Ashley never learned what became of Jackson or his mother because as soon as the blast granted him his freedom his feeble, terrified mind directed him to crawl until he passed out. Post-Freedom Ashley had escaped his prison, seemingly a joyous occasion, but in the wasteland joy is fleeting; and we needn't forget that Ashley's story isn't one of happiness. After passing out Ashley awoke in well lit room, on a pristine bed, handcuffed to a headboard. He was left in the room for hours but the combination of paranoia and fear made it seem like days; his wrist had welted into a bloody mess from his various attempts at uncuffing himself. Hours after Ashley had passed out from blood loss he awoke to a figure, obscured by his hazy vision. When Ashley finally regained his bearings the figure, who introduced himself as James, was laying next to him. Digressing from this biography; James was the leader of a cult-like brotherhood called the American Nomads. James himself was uninterested in the brotherhood; to him it was simply a way to lessen the likelihood of dying. A self proclaimed avant-garde artist, James had great enthusiasm for collecting bodies after raids and mutilating them, later adjusting them in various positions and photographing the spectacle; he had an endless fascination for gore and suffering. His private "army" consisted all of formerly abandoned teenage boys whom when he found, convinced them to pledge allegiance to James' command.